Rule the waves: One used aircraft carrier for sale

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Britain's Ministry of Defense (MoD) has put an aircraft carrier up for sale on an official used equipment website.

The Royal Navy aircraft carrier Ark Royal was taken out of service earlier this year as part of government budget cuts. It was decommissioned in Portsmouth earlier this month, and is up for sale on www.edisposals.com, a website run by the MoD's Defense Equipment and Support (DE&S) arm.

Individuals and organizations interested in purchasing the former flagship of the Royal Navy -- which was launched by Queen Elizabeth in 1981 -- have to submit their proposals for the ship to the MoD for approval.

"We need to be assured of the viability of the person or organization...including how they intend to store, maintain and dispose of the ship before the sale can be agreed," DE&S spokesman Tim Foreman told Reuters Monday.

Proposals for the aircraft carrier -- which travelled 621,551 nautical miles over the course of its career -- include mooring it in London for use as a helipad.

Interested parties have until June 13 to submit their bids and the ship will be handed over to its new owner by the end of the year.

Britain's coalition government said it would axe the flagship in a defense review last year as part of its plans to cut a record budget deficit.

"HMS Ark Royal has a proud history in the naval fleet and was due to leave service in three years time. Bringing forward her decommissioning ensures we will have an enhanced carrier strike capability in the future," the MoD said in a statement.
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